


someday you will be loved

by politeia



Series: Sasusaku-Headcanons [2012-2014] [9]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Canon-convergence, F/M, Gen, Hurt, Mild Profanity, Mind Modification, Pain, canon AU, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24452728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/politeia/pseuds/politeia
Summary: Sakura erases her memories of Sasuke.
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Uchiha Sasuke
Series: Sasusaku-Headcanons [2012-2014] [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1765711
Comments: 6
Kudos: 51





	someday you will be loved

**Author's Note:**

  * For [endstill](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=endstill).



There is a small fishing village located in the outskirts of the Fire Country. It is a sleepy, idyllic town, with picturesque little stone cottages crowded around a harbor that looks like it is long past its heyday. Its people are a peaceful, friendly lot whose lives revolve around the fishermen’s daily hauls, which are usually just enough to feed everyone, and occasionally enough to trade with the neighboring towns.

Separated from the mainland by a long range of mountains and possessing no strategic significance in terms of location, the humble town has mostly stayed unaffected by even the most momentous world events.

It is the village’s seclusion that has saved it from the ravages of the Fourth Shinobi World War.

In fact, the villagers would have never known about what had happened were it not for two travel-weary women - a striking blonde and a petite pink-haired (what a curious color) girl, stumbling into their local pub one dreary, rainy evening.

Their presence had drawn many a curious soul, if the pub owner’s profits that night were any indication. But whatever coin the villagers spent were not wasted, as the blonde woman had been more than happy to answer their questions in exchange for a warm and safe place to stay.

A war had been waged, they learned. It was over, but the consequences were grave. The two women were victims, and they were seeking a place where they could start over.

The villagers soaked up these tidings of gloom almost greedily, starved as they were for contact with the rest of the world. But in the end, all of them knew that the war held little significance for them. Life would go on as it always did in their quaint little corner of the world. Besides, the five countries were always warring anyway; so such news was no longer really new. What, or rather who, remained a curiosity for them was the blonde’s companion.

The pink-haired girl had remained mostly reticent, hardly speaking a single word, causing most of the villagers to think her daft or mute. They hadn’t even seen her eat a single bite, hadn’t seen her move save for the occasional sip of wine from the clay cup she cradled in her hand.

Those who decided to stay in the pub late into the evening, however, were graced with hearing her speak for the first time.

In a haunting, timid, almost child-like voice, she said: “Ino-chan… I… I wish I could… I want to forget… him.”

Those few words mostly told the villagers what they needed to know about the poor girl. Her story, they concluded, was simple: There was a boy in her life, and this boy had broken her.

* * *

It has been several months since Ino found the two of them a new home, several months since they both lost all they held dear. They had mostly adjusted to the village’s relaxed pace, had formed new friendships, and had even found jobs that integrated them well into the village’s close-knit community. She had built her own flower shop and Sakura had started working as an assistant to the village doctor. Their new lives were but a shadow of their previous jobs as talented, high-profile Konoha kunoichi, but for Ino, it was enough.

She was happy enough, ready enough to embrace this second chance. The villagers were supportive enough, friendly enough, kind enough.

But none of them had an IQ of over 200. None of them had a golden heart impossibly bigger than a herculean appetite. None of them could fill the city-sized hole left in her heart.

But what could she do? There was nothing to go back to. At least, there, in that sleepy village, they had a shot at happiness.

At least, she still had Sakura.

Ino envied her, sometimes. She had coped well, very well. But then she always thought of what Sakura no longer had, and that always made her wonder if she did the right thing.

But Sakura was happy, she could smile and she could laugh and she could live. She was not broken - and that, Ino decided, was enough.

* * *

It took another year before a new stranger stumbled into the village. He was a strikingly handsome young man, perfect if not for the dark aura surrounding him. As it was, the villagers mostly steered clear of him, and hoped he would hurry up and go on his way.

But alas, their wishes were not meant to be granted.

* * *

Sasuke surveyed the village with an impassive eye. It was hardly different from all the other ports he had passed, and he had already decided to spend a few days there before moving on to– to where, he didn’t exactly know.

The world born after the war was a strange one.

The shinobi ranks were thinned to the point of total obliteration. What few remained didn’t seem too keen on rebuilding what they once had; fazed, perhaps, by the raw power displayed by the main players in the war, conscious now of how such a wide power gap could cause such devastation.

But even with no shinobi villages left, life still pretty much went on as usual for the rest of the world. It was a bit disconcerting, how unnecessary the nin turned out to be in the grand scheme of things, despite how powerful they were. But that was how things went, and Sasuke soon became nothing but a relic of a world forgotten.

He wandered aimlessly for months, without a goal, without a purpose.

All the people he had wanted revenge on were gone, and so were the people he might have wanted to protect. As it was, Sasuke found himself more lost than he ever was.

But at least he knew where he was going next, and that was to the local pub. He strode purposefully to the village center, taking long measured steps and staring straight ahead to avoid the villagers’ curious stares.

It was then that he caught a glimpse of it - a flash of pink in the sea of heads down in the local market.

_Sakura._

In an almost uncontrollable impulse, he found himself following her, almost jogging to keep up. When he reached her, he caught her by the wrist and spun her around to face him, causing her to drop the basket of vegetables that she was holding.

Wide-eyed, she stared up at him for several long seconds, and he almost drowned in those deep viridian eyes of hers. They were so familiar, that his heart ached for a moment for the home that he had lost.

“Sa–”

“Oh no, the food!”, she exclaimed, swooping down to right her basket and recover her fallen goods.

For a moment, he thought he must’ve mistaken her for someone else - but no, this was Sakura. Her hair was long again, tied up in a neat ponytail, and she seemed different somehow, but this was her.

Confused, he crouched down to help her, his hand closing on one of the tomatoes.

“Sorry” he murmured as he passed a tomato to her.

“No, no, it’s okay”, she said, tucking a stray strand of hair into her ear, “But I– why did you, uh, what was it you needed from me, Mister–”

He felt his world spin right there, when his suspicions were confirmed.

She didn’t remember him.

“Can’t you-” _recognize me?_

“-Can you point me to the nearest inn?”

She looked confused for a while, probably wondering why he had grabbed her like that when he just needed to ask a simple question. But she didn’t seem to feel the need to pursue that line of inquiry, as she quickly deemed it proper to answer his question. “I’m sorry,” she frowned, “but our village has no inn. We don’t get many visitors, you see.”

Sasuke mulled over this for a while. He already knew that there was no inn, villages this small usually didn’t. Sakura, however, thought his silence was a reaction to the problem she presented and took pity on him.

“We have a spare room in our house, though. And you don’t seem like such a bad guy.” _naive, trusting, stupid girl, don’t say it_ _,_ “perhaps you could stay with us for the time being.”

She was utterly hopeless, he thought, inviting complete strangers into her house. But she did say ‘us’, did that mean–

His fist clenched, his blood turned to ice, but he carefully schooled his features into one that, he hoped, showed gratitude.

“May I? I would really appreciate it.”

“Yes, I’m sure Ino-chan won’t mind.”

Sasuke would never admit it, but the mention of Ino’s name restored his equilibrium, brought a wave of relief that he found difficult to fathom.

But with nothing else to do, nowhere else to go, he figured that the place where Sakura was would be a place good as any, devoid as he was of any need to deny their bond any longer. Besides, he did want to find out what happened to her, even if it was only to sate his curiosity. And more importantly, he’d need him with her if she foolishly invited strangers into her home.

“My name is Haruno Sakura, by the way”, she said chirpily, holding her hand out for a handshake.

“Uchiha Sasuke.”

She smiled, blindingly beautiful and achingly familiar.

And so they began - again.

* * *

Word travelled quickly in a village as small as theirs. And as soon as Ino heard, she dropped everything she was doing to hasten to their house.

“Ino-chan”, Sakura started, her expression apologetic, “I hope it’s okay. He, uh, didn’t have anywhere else to stay.”

But she was too late.

_Of all the rotten luck–_

Sakura somehow seemed happier than ever though, and Ino knew she couldn’t throw Sasuke out of the house without arousing suspicion. Besides, if Sasuke’s challenging look was any indication, it seemed that the man had it in his mind to be a nuisance. She would have to play along. For now.

“Alright, but you have to work for your own food.”

“Of course.”

Ino narrowed her eyes at the boy she once had a huge crush on and surveyed him closely for the first time. The boy was handsome, to be sure, always had been. But what she saw in Sakura’s head had opened her eyes to what a monster Uchiha Sasuke truly was.

And to think Sakura still loved him, even after all that.

Her best friend was insane, even inner Sakura thought so, her tear-stained acquiescence when Ino performed her jutsu being proof enough of how much she wanted to be free of the vice-like bondage the Uchiha had on her heart.

“Great!”, Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands together, “well, now that’s settled, let me show you to your room, Sasuke-kun.”

Ino frowned, hating how he was still “Sasuke-kun”, whereas she wanted more than anything to be called “ _Pig_ ”, and not “ _Ino-chan_ ”

* * *

It was a hot and balmy evening, with scarcely a single merciful breeze to cool the hot tempers of the two ex- _shinobi_ who had decided to seek each other out to find some answers.

“What the _fuck_ did you do?”, the dark-haired boy growled out at his former classmate. He did not really need an answer to the question, having already pieced things together by observing the two girls throughout the day.

“ _I_ _,_ ” Ino bit out, injecting each syllable with venom, “ _fixed_ _her._ ”

Sasuke glared at her, his fists clenching at his sides. It took all his will not to lash out at her, this woman who had killed him more effectively than any mortal wound could have.

“You _did_ not have the right to–”

“No, Sasuke, it’s _you_ who has no right to be here. After what you did–”

“She would _never_ have wanted to forget, Sakura–”

“Sakura would have _collapsed_ if I hadn’t done what I did”, Ino interjected, her voice rising. She took a breath, fought to compose herself, and continued, “After the war, she hardly ate, hardly moved, hardly even talked. What she saw back there, in the final parts of the battle, whatever it was, I’ll never find out. The memory was blocked to me, even when I probed.”

Ino paused, noticing how quiet the raven-haired boy had become. The relish she had felt from her tirade had faded somehow, replaced by pity at the Uchiha’s defeated posture. When she spoke again, her tone was no longer scathing, but soft, almost careful.

“But what she saw broke her, Sasuke. And when she finally spoke, she asked… she wished that she could forget about you.”

Sasuke smiled wryly, and shook his head slowly, “You don’t know anything. I _never_ deserved to be forgotten.”

Ino was confused, but as Sasuke turned around to leave, she decided to speak her mind despite the growing sense of doubt that had started to gnaw at her heart.

“Sasuke, she - Sakura’s happy now. And if you ever cared for her at all, you would leave–”

“If you ever really knew her, Yamanaka, you would know how unnecessary what you did was. Sakura was strong; she would have picked herself up.”

“But I never abandoned her, Sasuke. Can you honestly say the same?”

Sasuke stiffened, and Ino chose that moment to turn away abruptly. She managed to make it back to her room before she broke out in tears.

* * *

The next day, Ino gave him a picture. It was of Team 7.

“This was in her pocket. It’s yours now.”

* * *

He dreams of the last battle sometimes, the things he could have done, the things he could have changed.

It was a deadlock - neither side having much room to push. Madara was getting ready to cast _Tengai Shinsei [1]_. Sasuke moved to engage him, but he was intercepted by Sakura.

“Go help Naruto, Sasuke-kun. I’ll buy some time for you”, she said resolutely, her expression leaving no room for argument.

But still, he hesitated, several few seconds wasted - seconds that could have changed the course of the battle.

“Go!”

There - It was there, during those few seconds of indecision that he lost his grip on the situation. The Juubi overpowered Naruto, possessing him as the new host. They engaged in a battle, him and the boy who had once been his best friend. And when he was done, his lightning-charged hand sticking out from the boy’s chest, straining to hear Naruto’s unintelligible parting words, Sakura– Sakura chose that moment to look at them, to see what had happened… her shrill scream piercing the air as she took in the scene. It must have looked like a betrayal in her eyes. But there had been no chance for him to explain, as Madara took advantage of that window of distraction to drive a sword through the pink-haired girl…

and then a meteor came hurtling down at the Shinobi forces.

( _Dead, everyone is–_ )

It was Uchiha Sasuke’s hesitation that lost the war.

( _Madara laughs_ )

And it was his rage that won it.

* * *

The villagers saw it first.

She simpered around him, she treated him differently, she seemed flustered whenever he was around.

It was plain as day – Haruno Sakura was in love.

And Uchiha Sasuke, well, he felt a bit like he was finally home.

* * *

The heat was stifling and the air was dry; and Yamanaka Ino wanted nothing but to take a dip in the cool ocean waters.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t.

At this time of the day, Uchiha Sasuke was probably at the docks helping out with the other fishermen, and Ino was in no mood to have another glaring session with him. The villagers were already chiding her for being so hard on the boy, claiming that he had done absolutely nothing to deserve her hostility. They had all claimed that he was good for Sakura, saying that the pink-haired girl was absolutely blooming now that the boy was here. Well, Sakura really did seem happy - but that was besides the point! If only they really knew what Uchiha Sasuke was capable of!

Ino sighed irritably. The villagers were all so stupidly naive. But then, she couldn’t really blame them for being fooled. Sasuke was acting like such a goody-two-shoes. What cautious mistrust the villagers used to have were all banished the moment he started helping out. He was such a hard worker and was even proving to be a competent carpenter.

If only they knew that it was all for show…

Was it really, though?

Despite herself, Ino had been having some doubts about her opinions on Sasuke. Perhaps he wasn’t really here to cause trouble and perhaps he really was serious about staying with Sakura this time. After all, four months was a long time. If he was going to leave, then he would have already done it. More importantly, he wouldn’t have bothered to build his own house.

Maybe, just maybe, she was wrong about him. _Maybe_ _._

* * *

A little more than a year ago, he stood at the epicenter of a storm that would forever change the course of history. He had the power to change the world’s fate, to dictate the victor in the biggest war that the world had ever seen. He could make or unmake, create or devastate. And yet, for all that power, Uchiha Sasuke was certain that he had never felt as satisfied, as proud, as he felt now.

He stood up straight, wiped his forehead with the back of his palm, and surveyed his work.

Before him stood a long table, its polished surface shining and beautiful under the harsh artificial light. It was made of rosewood, strong, sturdy, and yet delicate. He had carved an intricate cherry blossom pattern onto its sides, laboring for countless long hours just to make sure that every petal and every leaf was perfect. Now, all that was left to do was to apply an even varnish.

And tomorrow, tomorrow the table would be ready.

He almost smiled, thinking of what her reaction might be.

She’d be delighted, he told himself, she’d be delighted for sure.

It was funny how life turned out. Never in his life would he have imagined that he would find happiness in a secluded fishing village in the middle of nowhere, living only to make a girl’s green eyes light up with the joy that he had once, in another life, deprived.

But that was exactly what happened, and Uchiha Sasuke would have it no other way.

Here, he was Sasuke-kun, who brought her gifts and made her smile and never ever did anything to disappoint her. Here, he could be a hero. Here, he had no sins.

* * *

It was on a chilly autumn evening that the blanket of delusion that Sasuke had wrapped around himself finally fell.

He was sitting by the window, listening to the melodic sound of crickets and enjoying the cool evening breeze, when Sakura paid him a little visit. It wasn’t such a rare occurrence, as she often came to bring him what food she and Ino couldn’t finish. But today was different; today, she had in her hands a single jar.

“Good evening, Sasuke-kun”, she called cheerily, he nodded his acknowledgement and looked inquiringly at her.

“Sasuke-kun, I was wondering if you could open this up. I’d have asked Ino-chan, but she isn’t home yet.”

She shyly handed him a jar of pickles, a cheeky grin plastered on her face. He obliged, taking the object from her and opening it with no difficulty whatsover. “Here”, he said, handing the object back to her, her cheeks flushing when their fingers touched.

She smiled at him, “Thanks! I’ve been trying to open it for almost fifteen minutes!”

As much as he wanted to, though, he found that he couldn’t quite return her smile.

He grit his teeth and turned away, inexplicably unable to bear the sight of her.

_It was no longer enough._ Somehow, he knew that it was no longer enough.

He wished that he had gotten the chance to get to know her more, her, the Sakura who knew that the small diamond on her forehead was more than just a simple ornament; the one who could destroy mountains with just her little finger, just as easily as she would heal torn muscles and broken bones; the one who had seen his darkness - all of it - and had loved him all the same.

Unwittingly, his hand moved to touch the seal, sadly, almost reverently.

_Here lies Sakura._

“Sasuke-kun,” she frowned, “are you okay?”

_No._ “Yes. I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? You seem a bit… sad.”

“Yes. I’m sure. Anyway, Sakura, I’m…. I need to go… take a walk.”

He turned to leave, but she clutched at his sleeve. Her head was lowered, her long hair forming a curtain around her face.

“Sasuke-kun,” she spoke, her voice trembling. “Something’s wrong, I know it. What happened?

“It’s nothing, Sakura, don’t worry-”

“But-”

“I said,” he cut her off, a bit more harshly than he had intended, “it’s nothing.” His patience was wearing thin, and he wanted so much to escape the thick atmosphere that had suddenly developed. But she would have none of it.

“Sasuke-kun”, she cried, “Why won’t you tell me anything?”

Her words triggered in Sasuke a memory; a memory of a night that once was, in a place that once was… of a crescent moon , a light breeze, a girl in love, and a boy who left his heart on a bench.

But Sasuke knew he was the only one remembering it; and for him, that simply wasn’t enough anymore.

Without another word, he gently detached her hand from his sleeve, and walked away.

* * *

Sakura held up a hand to touch her cheek. It was wet.

She didn’t know why, but she felt like she lost something, somehow. There was an overwhelming sense of loss, of grief engulfing her.

Her knuckles went white as she clutched at the jar she held in her hands, her fingers finding no purchase on its smooth, cool surface.

She couldn’t understand, couldn’t even begin to fathom what had happened, but somehow, in the space of those few minutes, there suddenly seemed to be a yawning abyss stretching out between her and the man that she had come to love - and somehow, somehow she knew that she had neither the strength nor the ability to cross it.

Then, a crash, a sharp sensation suddenly registering on her hands. She looked at her palms in disbelief and in fear; it was bloody, and there were broken shards digging into it painfully.

The glass had shattered.

_How had she done that?_

With a single, shuddering sob, she turned away and ran back to her house, not even bothering to clean up the mess she had made.

* * *

Ino winced as she pulled out shard after shard of broken glass from her best friend’s palm, the latter whimpering as each piece was freed.

She was torn between pulling Sakura into a hug and promising that everything would be okay and shaking her,reminding her over and over again that she had warned her against that pretty-faced boy with the destructive hand.

Neither option, Ino knew, would really help the poor rosette, so she opted to keep quiet, deciding instead to just focus on her task.

That night, when Sakura finally fell into exhausted sleep, Ino snuck out of their house to look for Uchiha Sasuke, fully intending to give him a piece of her mind, to berate him for always, always, finding a way to destroy the only girl who had ever truly cared for him.

She found him at the docks, an arm perched on his knee as he stared out at the vast, dark ocean. There was such a melancholic air about him, that all the scathing remarks that Ino had prepared died on her lips.

Silence stretched out between them, broken only by the rhythmic crashing of waves against the shore.

Then, he spoke.

“Is there any way for you to reverse the jutsu?”

“I– no, no there isn’t, Sasuke.”

“That’s it, then”, he said resignedly as he stood up to leave.

“She’s still Sakura, you know”, Ino called out.

“I know.”

“Then what’s–”

“Part of me wants her to regain her memories. But a bigger part of me is afraid that she’ll regain them, and hate me.” he stops, but does not look back. “You were right, Ino. I don’t deserve her. I think it’s time that I finally admitted that.”

“You’re a bigger fool than I thought, then.”

“Perhaps.”

He resumed walking away then, waving a hand at Ino dismissively. He felt somewhat guilty for leaving Sakura again, but he was certain she would be okay. She was a strong girl, after all. Maybe she would someday find someone, someone worthy, and he would be delegated to nothing but a memory, maybe even a bad dream, a worthless stranger who had passed by her life and left, having not even the decency to give her a proper goodbye.

“W-wait! Sasuke! What will I tell her?”

He paused, finally looking back, a sad, tired smile marring his features, “Tell her… tell her there was someone else, but I never knew how much she meant to me until she was gone.”

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke left the village that night, bringing nothing of his belongings with him except for a single photograph, and unbeknownst to him, the heart of a girl who would wait, just as she had waited in the forgotten years that had passed.

**Fin.**

**Author's Note:**

> posted at sasusaku-headcanons last June 22, 2013 [[link](https://sasusaku-headcanons.tumblr.com/post/53580115985/)]


End file.
